This document provides information on the Rosaceae family and some of its economically important members. It discusses the taxonomy and classification of Rosaceae, describing that it consists of about 115 genera and 3,200 species distributed worldwide, though mainly in temperate regions. Key characteristics of Rosaceae like habit, roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds are outlined. Details on specific genera such as apple, strawberry and rose are also provided, including their botanical features and floral formulas.

1. Submitted to :
Associate Professor
Department of Fruit Science
ACH, NAU, Navsari
Systematics of Rosaceae family
Submitted by :
Reg. No. 1020221014
4th Sem. Ph. D. (Horticulture) Fruit
Science
ACH, NAU, Navsari
ASPEE COLLEGE OF HORTICULTURE
NAVSARI AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY
NAVSARI 39650

2.  Rosaceae consists of about 115
genera and 3,200 species.
 Though the members belonging to
this family are cosmopolitan, yet
they are mainly distributed in
temperate and colder regions.
 In India most of the genera have
been reported from hilly regions.
 The family is represented in our
country by the following few
important genera, e.g., Prunus,
Pyrus, Rubus, Rosa, Eriobotrya,
Fragaria, Potentilla, etc.
INTRODUCTION

3. Kingdom Plantae
Subkingdom Tracheobionta
Superdivision Spermatophyta
Division Magnoliophyta
Subdivision Angiospermae
Class Magnoliopsida
Subclass Rosids
Order Rosales
Family Rosaceae
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION

4. Some economically important species of Rosaceae family

6.  Habit: There are great variations in the habit of the plants included
in this family.
 They may be trees (Apple, Pear, Peach, Plum, cherry, Loquat, etc.),
shrubs (Rose, blckberry) or herbs (strawberry). Very often they are
thorny and sometimes climbing (rose).
 Most of the species are herbaceous and wild, while on the other hand
some species are grown for their delicious fruits, and as ornamentals.
Tree shrub
Herb

7.  Root: Tap and branched.
 Fiborous : strawberry

8. Stem
 The stem is erect or creeping, herbaceous or hard and
woody, cylindrical, branched; many shrubs are spiny (e.g.,
Rosa); in Rosa and Rubus these spiny outgrowths are cortical
and arise from both nodes and internodes.
 Vegetative propagation takes place by means of runners,
suckers and cuttings.
Spine

9. Leaves:
 The leaves are alternate or opposite.
 Simple or pinnately compound, petiolate, usually stipulate, the
stipules are adnate to the petiole (rose).
 The leaf base is conspicuous, small spines are often present on
the rachis; the margins of the leaves are either serrated or
entire.
opposite., Pinnately
compound leaf
Simple , alternate leaves
Serrate
margin

10.  Inflorescence: There are great variations in different species.
 It may be corymb, corymbose, umbellate, racemose, or the
flowers may be solitary or in the small groups in the two or
threes.
 Sometimes the inflorescence is compound raceme (panicled
flowers).
corymb
umbellate compound raceme

11.  Flower: Usually hermaphrodite (bisexual) rarely unisexual (e.g.,
Spiraea aruncus, where the plants are dioecious)
 Actinomorphic, regular (irregular in Parinarium and Parastemon),
bracteolate.
 It may be hypogynous (e.g., in Fragaria), perigynous (e.g., in
Prunus) or epigynous (e.g., in Pyrus).
Hypogynous - Fragaria

12. Calyx
 It consists of 5 sepals, which are connate at the base
(gamosepalous), basal portions are usually adnate forming a
hypanthium.
 the lobes of the calyx are free, valvate or imbricate and green;
sometimes the epicalyx is formed by bracteoles; the lobes of epicalyx
remain alternate to the sepals.
Calyx

13. Corolla
 It consists of 5 petals (rarely four petals) which are polypetalous;
the petals usually arise from the rim of hypanthium.
 Imbricate, very often the hypanthium bears a nectariferous glandular
disc.
 The number of petals increases sufficiently in cultivated varieties
because of the conversion of the stamens into petals. They are
variously colured. Sometimes the corolla is altogether absent (i.e.,
in Alchemilla, Poterium, etc.).
Poterium
Imbricate aestivation
Hypanthium

14. Androecium
 Usually the number of stamens is indefinite (15-60), sometimes
they are 5-10.
 The stamens are generally arranged in one to many whorls of five
each; arise from the hypanthium and free.
 The anthers are small, two-celled. introrse and dorsifixed; the
dehiscence takes place by means of longitudinal splits; the filaments
are usually incurved in bud.

15. Gynoecium
 The number of carpels is one to many; the gynoecium
consists of either one compound carpel (syncarpous) or
many simple carpels (apocarpous) arranged in cyclic or
spiral way.
 The carpels are usually situated within the hypanthium or
the hypanthium remains adnate to the compound ovary.
 The ovary is either superior or inferior or half superior
half inferior (i.e., perigynous condition).
 When syncarpous, 2-5 locules are found, the placentation is
axile, and the stigmatic lobes are as many as the number of
carpels.
 The placentation is basal when one carpel is present
(apocarpous), the ovules are one to many in each carpel. The
style is free or connate, the stigma is simple, lobed or
capitate.

16.  Fruit:
 They may be dry or fleshy.
 It may be a pome (e.g., in Pyrus,apple), pyriform berry (e.g., in
Eriobotrya), an etaerio of achenes (e.g., in Rubus, strawberry), or
one seeded drupe (e.g., in Prunus), etc.
 Seeds: the seeds are exalbuminous, generally with small embryo.
 Pollination: The pollination takes place usually through the agency
of insects (i.e., entomophily), but sometimes there is wind pollination
(i.e., anemophily)

17.  Habit: Small tree or large shrub.
 Stem: Erect, woody, branched, cylindrical, solid.
 Leaves: Simple or pinnate, deciduous, petiolate, stipulate (stipules
deciduous), glabrous, acute, ovate, unicostate reticulate venation,
alternate with serrate margin.
Apple

18.  Inflorescence: Cymose, terminal cymes or corymbs.
 Flower: Pedicellate, bracteate (bracts linear), bracteolate (two
bracteoles), hermaphrodite, actinomorphic; complete, epigynous.
 Calyx: Five sepals, gamosepalous, calyx-tube obconical lobes erect
or reflexed, persistent ordeciduous.
 Corolla: Five petals, polypetalous, quincuncially imbricate in bud
Calyx

19. Androecium
 Indefinite stamens (20 or
more), filaments long, connate at
the base, anthers dorsifixed,
introrse; dehisce longitudinally.
Gynoecium
 Two to five carpels, connate and
adnate to calyx-tube.
 Syncarpous, ovary inferior, 2-5
locular, axile placentation.
 Styles 2-5, free or connate below,
stigmas truncate; ovules 2 in
each locul.

21. Fruit: A pome, fleshy

22. Strawberry
Kingdom Plantae
Division Magnoliophyta
Class Magnoliopsida
Order Rosales
Family Rosaceae
Subfamily Rosoideae
Genus Fragaria

23. Diploid species (2n=14)
•Fragaria daltoniana
•Fragaria iinumae
•Fragaria nilgerrensis
•Fragaria nipponica
•Fragaria nubicola
•Fragaria vesca
•Fragaria viridis
•Fragaria yezoensis
Tetraploid species (2n=28)
•Fragaria moupinensis
•Fragaria orientalis
Hexaploid species (2n=42)
•Fragaria moschata (Musk Strawberry)
Octoploid species and hybrids (2n=56)
•Fragaria x ananassa (Garden Strawberry)
•Fragaria chiloensis (Beach Strawberry)
•Fragaria iturupensis (Iturup Strawberry)
•Fragaria virginiana (Virginia Strawberry)
Decaploid species and hybrids (2n=70)
•Fragaria × Potentilla hybrids
•Fragaria × vescana
The genus Fragaria having different ploidy level in their species

24. Habit
 The strawberry (Fragaria) is a low growing almost
evergreen perennial herb distributed in the wild state in the
temperate and sub-tropical regions of the world.
 Producing profuse runners or stolons from a scaly
rootstock, which readily roots after coming in contact with
the soil.

25.  Leaves : The dark green pubescent leaf has three leaflets
(trifoliate) markedly toothed, the pedicels are also pubescent
 Flowers :The flowers appear on crown buds, bisexual
usually perfect, flowers are generally white in colour very
rarely pink or pinkish tinged, borne usually on cymes on
leafless stems.
 Calyx and corolla pentamerous, calyx 5 lobed with five
branchlets alternately inserted in between calyx, green
pubescent alternate to petals and are closely attached to the
fruit, corolla five white, orbicular or elliptic, free

26.  Androecium : Twenty or more stamens (though some species and
varieties are pistillate also) apocarpous placed at the foot of the
dome or receptacle.
 Gynoecium : pistils many (40-60 sometimes even more) and are
borne on the surface of the enlarged fleshy receptacle. Every
carpel is depressed in the receptacle, has a style which ends with a
capitate stigma.

28.  Fruit : The strawberry fruit is an aggregate fruit resulting from
fleshy receptacle with many seed- like achenes present on the
fruit surface.
 These achenes may be prominently projecting from the surface
(superficial) or sometimes may be indented into the surface. The
individual achenes are with persistent styles and aggregate fruit
is with persistent calyx.

29.  Floral formula

30.  Habit: Erect or climbing perennial shrubs, usually prickly.
 Root: Tap, branched.
 Stem: Erect, branched, prickly, solid, woody, cylindrical.
 Leaf: Compound, imparipinnate, petiolate, stipulate (stipules
adnate to the petiole), leaflets serrate, ovate, acute, unicostate,
reticulate venation.
Rose

31.  Flower: Pedicellate, bracteate (bracts rarely persistent),
hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, complete, perigynous, white, yellow,
red or pink.
 Calyx: Five sepals, gamosepalous, narrowly lanceolate, inferior,
quincuncial aestivation, calyx-tube persistent, globose ovoid or
pitcher shaped.
 Corolla: Five to indefinite petals, polypetalous large, showy,
scented, imbricate aestivation in bud.
Calyx

32.  Androecium: Stamens many, inserted on the disk, polyandrous,
inferior, petals are modified into stamens, anthers bicelled, introrse.
 Gynoecium: Many carpels, apocarpous, found in the bottom of
calyx-tube, styles subterminal free or connate above, stigma
thickened, ovule one, basal placentation.
 Fruit: An etaerio of achenes.

34.  Floral formula

35. TAHNK YOU